The Kindness Inside
by Storyoflife1
Summary: Talon has always been alone. Ruthless, predatory, murderous. However, when political scandals in Noxus threaten to destroy Valoran and his own life is in danger, will the kindness of an innocent girl show him the way to save the world before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

The old man lay frail in his bed, a simple white sheet tossed over him in a pitiful attempt to cover the pool of blood that was gathering. Around him, a thousand lit candles sparkled with the life that was ending. He stared out into the space gathering him. He saw a flicker of light in the dark attic of his house. As he gathered himself for his journey to death, he thought of his life. What a waste…

The young boy scampered along, beckoning his friends to move faster. "Come on! It won't be long before they start." He expertly sidestepped a chariot full of armor-clad soldiers. Sneakily grabbing a biscuit from a nearby cart, he sped along until he reached the gathering of people. Ahead of them was a general with an assortment of pins and medals attached to his uniform. On the platform with him were two soldiers flanking him and no doubt many more snipers and security officers out of sight.

"Good day, Noxus. Last night, our beloved lord had perished in his sleep. As we are mourning, it is of the utmost importance that we elect a new official." The general spoke with tears, but his words had no sadness to them. "The elections will be held in exactly 3 days from now. Gather yourselves here for the election. Now, may I please introduce to you the two candidates." The crowd cheered as he waved forth a young man with jet-black hair arranged in a spiky crown-like shape. He wore a spiky armguard with a fur coat and waved to the crowd, which went wild. "This is Draven!" He beckoned for Draven to step back as he allowed another man to take the stage. This one lacked the amount of confidence the first one had, but his eyes looked like pure death. His blue cloak was pulled up behind him, and he seemed to glare at the audience. "Talon!" The crowd gave a half-hearted smile, but their real focus was on Draven, who had started spinning some razor sharp axes up in the air, catching them easily. "Ladies and Gentlemen, that is all for today. See you next time." The ground shook as the crowd stamped their feet, cheered, and slowly dispersed.

Swain shook off his coat and tossed it to the side which Darius expertly caught. "My Lord, is everything going to plan?" Swain smirked.

"Once Talon's dead, there will be no one else to take the throne. The question is, do you think you can control your fool of a brother?"

Darius nodded, emotionless. "That kid will give you the throne, easily. All he wants in life is fame and glory."

Swain smiled, the smile of blood and murder. "Well that's settled. Good night." The lights flickered off as Swain, the Master Tactician, went to sleep.

**Meanwhile…**

Ezreal looked at his friend. "Teemo, are we ready?"

Teemo peeked out from the pile of bags that were growing. "We should be okay with this. I've confirmed their forms with Caitlyn, and she signed the waivers."  
Ezreal smiled. Teemo was going to bring a group of the orphans from Bandle City together on an "adventure" led by Ezreal. He felt bad for the poor kids, having survived in Bandle City without parents for so long until last year when the new orphanage was built. Teemo scampered out of the pile of bags.

"Ezreal, let me verify our plans with you. We're going to travel around the mountains, into the "magical and unexplored" cave that you found, have many picnics and breaks along the way, and end up in the desert, where we'll spend a few nights camping and head back. Is that correct?"

Before Ezreal could answer, a little hand reached out and tapped Teemo's arm. He looked down. A tiny purple girl stood there, complete with a puny wand and a cute little hat.

"Hey Lulu." The little girl stared up at Ezreal with her cute eyes, wide open. "Hi Mr. Ezreal! Are you ready for our big adventure?" Her little fairy jittered along happily as she spoke.

Ezreal smiled. He could never remember a time when Lulu wasn't smiling. As he prepared for his journey, he thought what a gorgeous world it was.

**Hi guys! This is my first fanfiction, so I would appreciate if you would give constructive feedback. Also, if there are any things that you notice that are wrong or good about this fanfic, please give reviews! Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

Talon stared grimly out of his window in the dark gray apartment. His ruthless eyes swept the street, seeing some random peasants walk obliviously past his window. He enjoyed being alone, as it allowed him to hear everything, to see everything. Today, he had a mission. He slipped out of the window, covered by the impending darkness, and flipped masterfully onto the ledge next to his house. He reached into his waistbag and pulled out a razor-sharp dagger. He felt the shadows watching him as he flung open his cloak, letting loose a wave of daggers into the surrounding darkness. He almost smirked as he heard a wave of muffled grunts in the surrounding darkness. A dark man approached from within the shadows.

"Greetings. I am Shi'Kalu, the leader of the 3rd sect. We would like to request that you join us. We're a much stronger group than the previous group that approached you. If you are interested, please –" His words were cut off as Talon appeared behind him, his throat cut. Talon sensed a hiss of anger from the surrounding disciples. Two of them recklessly charged him, only to find blades suddenly implanted in their throats. He whirled his daggers like swords around, but there were just too many of them. He grimly threw his cloak off and took out a small pouch, filled with a valuable and expensive powder. He sprinkled it in the air, and instantly the air turned pitch-black. He leapt off the building and into the night.

Swain smirked as he watched the gladiators fight to death in the arena. Having a position of power was so fun, he thought. Suddenly a man approached him, panting and out of breath.

"My lord, Shi'Kalu has been killed also."

Swain rushed forward and grabbed the man by his collar. "Is what you say true? Who are you?"

The man breathed. "I am one of his disciples. I barely escaped the fight with my life. He has been slain by Talon. "

Swain frowned. That Talon was becoming quite a nuisance. He waved to Darius. "Darius, bring this man to the dungeons. I want him hung by tomorrow. As for Talon, it should be about time for him to be killed as well. Prepare the assassin." Darius nodded as he took hold of the pale man and strode off to the dungeon.

Teemo found himself slowly losing his patience as the hike wore on. Who knew that orphans were so talkative?

"Uncle Teemo, look at this!" A little boy waved him over. Underneath their feet was a tiny earthworm, writhing in the soil. The boy was with a group of friends, taking turns poking it with a stick.

"Stop that now. That little worm has a life also," Teemo scolded. He watched as they sorrowfully threw down the stick and ran forward to catch up with the rest of the crew.

As they stopped for a snack break, Teemo quickly counted heads. Something was wrong.

"Has anyone seen Lulu?" Teemo called out. Nobody answered.

…..

Lulu walked alongside her little fairy friend in the deep forest. She had seen a butterfly, and had followed its fluttering wings to this place. Around her, the mist clung to the trees. She spied a baby bird chirping to its mother in a nest. It squeaked out in a melodious tone. She walked through the forest on the dirt path, admiring nature's scenery and soon forgetting about her scout group. After walking some time, she heard a muffled shout of pain. She peeked through an undergrowth of vines to find a strange man in a blue cloak sitting there, blood pouring out of his side and a bloody knife a few feet away. She rushed over to the man. His artery had been punctured, and he was panting heavily. His eyeballs rolled back into his head. Lulu put her hat underneath his head as she ran around the forest looking for medical supplies. She remembered the rhyme her mother had taught her on how to recognize leaves and other plants.

Talon woke up in a strange place, a dull forest filled with a strange white fog. All he remembered was tearing off into the night, realizing there was a dagger in him, pulling it out, and then, nothing. He felt something shift next to him, and as he tilted his head, he saw a most peculiar creature. It was a skeleton thin little ghost of some type, with giant purple wings. It chattered quickly as it buzzed around. He looked underneath and saw some weird red pointy hat with strange symbols on it. As he pondered what had happened a little girl appeared.

"Your awake! Nice to meet you Mister. My names Lulu. What's yours?" The little girl chatted casually, oblivious to who she was talking to.

Talon grunted. "Talon."

Lulu frowned. "I saved you, Mister, you know. You could be a little bit nicer." She pouted, her lip quivering.

Talon almost smiled. The little girl really was quite adorable. He sat up, creaking his back. "Where are we?"

"I don't know Mister. Some forest." Lulu said.

Talon was about to respond, when he heard something that made his blood chill. The sound of horses clomping in the forest in the distance, and a cold familiarly chilling voice commanding the soldiers to search. Swain, the devil, had come for his soul.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

Swain frowned as he told his troops to search over and over again the forest. He could see Talon's tracker that he had attached to his hood blinking magically on his tablet. However, they couldn't find him. He grabbed the nearest mage.

"Are you sure you didn't cast this spell wrong? It shows he is here, however we have searched all around, and he isn't." Swain almost shouted.

The trembling mage tried to free himself inconspicuously. "My Lord, the tracker is unremovable by anything other than extreme magic. There is no way Talon has that sort of power nearby. As for the usage, well, it has never failed in all of Noxus' history."

Swain kept a calm face, but his insides were churning with fury. "You better not be lying, mage. We'll search for a while more, and if we don't find him, off with your head."

Talon glared at the man, although it was quite hard to do, seeing as he was a butterfly. He and Lulu flittered around, their wings blending in with the tree trunks. He had no clue he had a tracker on him, and only Lulu's quick magic had saved him from what was sure to be an unsettling death. He reached into his pocket to make sure that he still had his daggers… His pocket! Swain had given him the cloak way back when he was first employed, so maybe it had a tracker on it all along? Talon searched through his miniature cloak until he found a tiny shining dot. Yes, that was it. He wondered what he should do…

Swain was really pissed. He had just wasted valuable resources and time searching for that Talon. He looked at his tablet to see where the tracker had gone. Strange, it seemed to be moving… Right along with him! He combed his hand through his hair until it reached a little dot. Screaming with fury, Swain morphed into a giant crow, swallowing the poor mage alive.

"So that is apparently how Lulu disappeared." Ezreal told the fuming Caitlyn. Caitlyn leaned over the counter and picked up a newspaper article.

"Ezreal, take a look at this." She pointed to the picture on the stolen Noxus paper.

A picture of a little dot was captioned: "Traitor Talon uncaptured and on loose." She pointed to the dot. On the dot was a faint heart with the initials LL on it. Lulu.

Ezreal almost smiled. What was that girl doing, helping Noxian assassins?

Caitlyn read Ezreal's mind. "Apparently Lulu isn't as foolish as she looks. She sent me a message painted on a butterfly that told me to meet here at Cubby's Cupcakes at 6. Would you and Teemo like to join me?"

Ezreal nodded as he sent Teemo the message.

Two hours later, Ezreal, Caitlyn, and Teemo were sitting at the bakery waiting for Lulu and Talon to appear. They ordered drinks from the bartenders as they sat down and waited.

Teemo sipped his drink, and instantly started gagging. Ezreal looked in the cup. At the bottom, in typical Lulu style, "Go into the backroom" was written with hot jalapeno sauce.

In the dark backroom, Ezreal looked down and saw a suspicious pile of mops. Grinning, he lifted them to the face of Lulu and Talon. Lulu smiled.

"Hi Ezreal! This is Talon. He's running from this really bad man, Swain, that was trying to kill him." She chattered.

Caitlyn interrupted. "That's strange. Swain doesn't usually persecute people in broad daylight. He takes things calmly and smoothly."

Ezreal was about to respond, when he heard Caitlyn's phone beeping. Caitlyn grumbled as she took it out, but quickly her face was replaced with one of pure fear.

Ezreal grabbed her by the shoulders and shook. "What's the matter? What's happening."

Caitlyn gulped. "It's, Swain. He's at the city doors asking for a deal."

The group headed out to the city gates, Talon and Lulu disguised as butterflies again. There, Swain stood, surrounded by fearsome Noxian guards who kept the terrified civilians away.

"Swain, what are you doing here. You know perfectly that there is a treaty between the Demacian alliance and Noxus." Caitlyn shouted.

"My dear sheriff, that only applies if we are at peace. However, I believe that you have broken that treaty. You are harboring a prisoner, the one named Talon. Bring him outside by midnight or risk the destruction of Piltover. You have been warned."

Talon stood up. "I'll go. It's not worth a city full of innocents for one assassin." His dark eyes stared stoically, but he was trembling with fear inside. "Besides, I am a Noxian."

A murmur of approval went through the crowd, but Ezreal waved him down. "Here in Piltover, every person is weighed equally, be it man, yordle, or Noxian assassin. We will not let a friend down. Every last one of us will fight for not just your freedom, but the freedom of humanity and life." Ezreal sat down to a stunned audience, with a stoned silence around the room. Then, the room burst into cheering.

Talon had never thought this, but for once, he felt a tiny teardrop rolling down his cheek.

At midnight, the gates bust open and Swain walked in, his crow form the face of terror. "Let the destruction begin!" he cackled, as the dark army approached and hell rose.

**Reviews: Xatro, thank you so much for reviewing. It makes me feel like my writing is actually read instead of just skimmed over. About Talon becoming a leader, that isn't true. The election will make sense as the story continues. Again, thank you for reviewing :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

Swain pointed his finger and his troops surged, led by the infamous Darius. Darius was a terrifying sight to behold. His wild hair swung around in the ghastly wind as he swung his axe around and around, bringing down two men for one swing. Blood flew in a sort of mist around him, but he didn't seem to notice as he continued hacking away at the civilians. Screams filled the air as the rest of the army was met by the Piltover quickly assembled forces, some of them still young and unprepared.

Ezreal looked at all this happening, and he felt a twang of regret. Why hadn't he volunteered to join the fighting? His magic was incredible. As Ezreal looked upon the destruction, anger boiled up inside of him. He raised his gauntlet, which had turned bright-blue. _It's time, _he thought.

Darius looked all around him, clearly enjoying the heat of battle. He saw one man that had managed to get close to Swain, roared, and flung his backup axe at him. It gruesomely cleaved off the man's head and brought the decapitated body flying with it to the side. He smiled as he lived the combat he hadn't had for years. Suddenly, out of nowhere, before he could kill a young man with pale blue eyes, a blur of light flew in and somehow stopped his axe midair.

Ezreal focused his energy onto Darius's arm. He channeled all of his powers into stunning Darius there for as long as he could. He couldn't see it, but all the troops had stopped fighting. Ezreal and Darius, covered in a giant energy field that kept on expanding, were locked together in a deadly dance. Every bead of sweat on their faces was evident. Ezreal focused as hard as he could, but he was losing the fight. He looked and Darius seemed to sense the weakness also. _Goodbye Piltover, _Ezreal thought, as his world disappeared into darkness.

Caitlyn stifled a scream as Ezreal's limp body was flung through the air and smashed into Piltover's grand hall. She yelled with rage and grabbed her rifle, aiming straight for Darius's head. However, just as she was about to get down the perfect shot, a random man jumped in front of the bullet.

Darius saw this, but he was too exhausted to move. His lieutenant, Dave, roared with rage and with a courage he didn't possess leapt in front of Darius, taking the fatal bullet. Darius had no time to thank him. He beckoned for his troops to leave the city as he and his men charged.

Caitlyn saw the men fleeing. She raised her arm and thousands of Piltoverians followed, yelling and leaving a wake of destruction. However, when they arrived where the men were, they stopped in astonishment.

All of the men lay on the ground, dead or crippled and bleeding out. Around the field, thousands of squashed mushrooms lay, burning holes underneath them. A survivor crawled up, tried to escape, but accidentally stepped on another mushroom. It blew up and he was flung away. He didn't get up. Teemo, creepily happy, stood on the side of his trap. "So, how did we do?"

At Ezreal's memorial, nearly everyone from Bandle City and Piltover went. Even some celebrities from different cities came. Lux, who arrived in a carriage with Garen, instantly burst into tears and ran away sobbing. Beside her, the Kinkou, who Ezreal had helped in various adventures, stood passive but evidently sad. Even Kog'Maw, the void creature who Ezreal had given a home to, barely could stop throwing up. As the pastor finished his blessings, he beckoned to Kayle. Kayle stood up and lifted her sword in the standard holy position, her helmet off for once.

"Here lies Ezreal, who was a hero in life and in death. His bold sacrifice saved the lives of thousands and the meaning of life. No better death was ever died." She spoke with a powerful voher ice. "Now, let his spirit rest in peace!" A golden bubble of light flew from the sky and encased his coffin, swallowing it up and bringing it up to the sky, where it enveloped itself in clouds that shifted over to cover it.

Talon looked at the ceremony with a new feeling he had never felt before, sadness. He had let this brave man save his life, his own cowardly life, and he had done nothing in repayment. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked back to see Lulu, her eyes glittering with tears.

"Talon, we all die. Ezreal was a great man and he saved a life while dying, so remember his life in a good way and end the Noxians once and for all." Her voice shined with bravery, which muffled back hidden tears.

Talon nodded as he finally saw the truth. Now, his life had meaning.

Swain raged furiously in his room. He had just barely fled from a disastrous battle with only a handful of soldiers. Now, they had lost one of their best commanding generals. He grabbed a vase and prepared to fling it when the door opened.

"Sir?" a timid soldier peeked in. "The inaguaration for Draven is happening now."

Swain smashed the jar as he quickly prepared for the ceremony.

Outside, Draven had gathered a huge crowd as he entertained them with his axes. Swain gave a quick speech about how Draven would put the city before himself, bla, bla, bla. But in his mind, all he could think of was that Talon, and how he held the key. The key to complete power.

**Hi everyone :D Thank you Russian Hunter and Yuuchji for reviewing!**

**Russian Hunter: I'm not sure what you mean by out of cannon. If it means what I think it means, then sorry. I am trying to make the change gradual in Talon, but I might be overdoing it. Thank you for the feedback!**

**Yuuchji, I'm glad you like it. Thank you for the review :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4.**

The plan was set. Swain and his board of council members stood hunched over a giant map. It had worn out edges, and the paper was browned. However, a close look at the map revealed something amazing: The map was of Valoran, and it had tiny little people moving across it. Swain smirked as he viewed the scene. He saw his nemesis, Jarvan, drinking tea with his friends. He saw Draven doing things he shouldn't be doing at age 17 with a group of girls. He could even see the void monsters and their hunting of prey. Swain beckoned his captive over. The guards that held his arms behind him kicked him in the back, making him raise his head. Underneath the hood lay a disfigured face, with a giant scar down the middle. Viktor the mechanic stared up at him, impassively. Swain smiled. His torturers had done a good job. In Viktor's eyes, there were no sense of rebellion. Instead, complete defeat hung, lingering.

"My dear Viktor, would you be so kind as to power on your hexocell?"

Viktor moved without a word, plugging his mechanical finger into the megabattery. Soon, the map started glowing with a dark blue aura. Magic crackled from the tips of the map, and a dark mist started forming at Swain's fingertips. Swain cackled.

"Who shall we kill first?" He looked around the map for Talon, found him, and pressed his finger down.

Talon arched with pain. His bones could barely lift the weight of the thing that had suddenly fell on him, whatever it was. He couldn't see. He was sure he was going to die, when suddenly the pain subsided. He opened his eyes. Besides him, Lulu was staring with concern. Around him, a giant patch of grass had sprung up, pushing the object away. Talon scrambled back.

"Lulu, what just happened?" he asked almost timidly.

Lulu frowned. "Some sort of dark magic caused a giant block of matter to appear and push you down. I managed to save you, but if that type of magic exists and they can attack you from anywhere…" Talon could see Lulu's lip tremble. As much as he hated to say it, he had grown attached to Lulu these past few days. The little Yordle had brought a feeling that had never come to Talon before. Joy. Starting from when Talon was a young boy, his parents had been brutally slaughtered. His whole life had been about killing until now.

Lulu looked up from her book. "Talon, look at this!" She pointed to a picture. On it, a giant map with various figures dotted on it was captioned. "The Map of Anxolus" she read. "Created by the legendary mage Anxolus to defeat the demon army. Last used by destructive mage Xerath to destroy his enemies. Lost in Shurima Desert. Activated by extreme amounts of energy, Xerath channeled part of his being into it. It can be used once a day to instantly smite someone down from the map." Lulu looked pale suddenly. "Do you think Swain has gotten hold of this?"

Talon nodded grimly. "Probably." If Swain had gotten it, troubles lay ahead of them. They had been journeying for quite a few days now to a safe haven in Bilgewater, but if Swain could see where they were, then no place was safe.

Lulu called Pix over. "Talon, I have a friend by the name of Amumu. He is a really ancient guy and he can probably help us. Pix, go find Amumu in the usual spot and tell him we're coming in 2 days." Pix nodded and flew away, speeding through the mountains to a secret desert…

The map shuddered as the Talon figurine was attacked by the finger. Suddenly, a barrier of prickly thorns arose and cut Swains finger. Swain yelled in rage, but it was too late. The damage had been done. Swain looked at the ruined glove on his finger and yelled to Viktor: "Get me another glove by tomorrow." Then, Swain strode off angrily into his room.

In his room, Swain plopped down on his seat. It had been a long day, and he was tired of catching Talon. Why was Talon so important? He asked himself. However, the boss that ordered his murder never gave a reply. Swain could feel the boss inside of him still, pressing him on. _Swain, kill him now. Kill him now or I'll kill you. _Swain shuddered. Every day, his own hold over his body was weakening. This thing was changing him, and not for the better.

Amumu looked at the little fairy. "Yay, Pix. Finally some friends are coming over! Come on, come inside for a drink of your favorite honey soup!" The little fairy buzzed eagerly into Amumu's house, where a steaming bowl of soup lay. He happily lapped up the sweet fluid, letting it sink into his body. After he was full, he buzzed a thank you and flew off to inform Lulu.

On the way back, Pix felt a strange smell in the air. He looked around, but could see nothing. Suddenly, a giant black bird swooped out of the sky and grabbed him. He tried to cast his spells on the bird, but nothing would work. As the bird landed, Pix began to realize why. The talon that held him became a hand, and slowly a bald man began to form. Swain.

Lulu paced nervously. "I wonder what's taking Pix so long. He's usually back within a few hours." She and Talon walked slowly through the forest, making sure to not leave a visible trace. Suddenly, Lulu heard a little jingling, the sound of Pix's bells. "Hey Talon, hurry up. He's almost here!" She rushed ahead, and what she saw almost made her faint.

Ahead of her, Swain stood with a platoon of Noxian men behind him. He looked pointedly at Lulu and held up the buzzing Pix by his wings. "My dear Lulu, good day."

Lulu screamed furious with rage. Her eyes sparkled with a dangerous glim. "Swain, let Pix go right now!"

Swain chuckled. "Of course we will, Lulu. I have one request. Give me Talon."

Talon stepped forward. "Swain, I'll come with you if you promise to stop hurting innocents."

Swain's eyes widened. "Talon, when did you care about innocents? You're an assassin, for crying out loud."  
Talon leapt forward without a word straight into the platoon. "Swain, give Lulu back Pix. I'll do whatever sadistic plot you have for me."

Lulu's eyes glimmered with tears at Talon's sacrifice for her best friend. She expected Swain to break his promise, but to her surprise, he walked towards her.

"Lulu, here's your Pix." He threw Pix into the air, and she hugged him with relief. She looked at Talon one last time with sorrow and thankfulness in her eyes, but already Talon was being led away. She cried a few tears of joy and sorrow.

After Swain left, she looked at Pix. The little fairy was not evidably hurt, but he seemed hurt inside. Then Lulu turned his wings and gasped. On the back of them were magically sealed explosives. Inside Pix's mouth was a detonator. If he closed it, which he would eventually have to breath, he would explode. Rage bubbled inside of her. Pix looked at her one last time with pleading eyes. Lulu gave Pix one last hug and a smile. "It's ok, Pix. Thanks for being my best friend forever. I love you." As she spoke the last words, Pix took off into the sky. Once he was a safe distance away, he closed his mouth and rocked Lulu's world forever as her innocent soul was torn apart.

**Hi guys! I might not always write every day, because I'm in high school and high school is really busy. However, I'll try to have at least 4-5 chapters a week! Thank you anonymous for reviewing, and I'm glad you like the story. As always, Anyone who read this and either liked it or disliked it or sort of liked it (aka everyone) should review! Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

Talon was forced away in his heavy metallic chains, his body bruised from being pushed around. Swain led him into the carriage like a prisoner, a dog. His cloak was ripped off of him, and his cold defiant eyes were finally revealed to Swain. Swain smiled a smile of the devil.

"Talon, you do not know how many resources we spent searching for you. We lost many honorable men who paid their lives so that you could be brought to me. Talon, you should've joined us when you had the chance. Now, it's too late."

Talon glared defiantly. He couldn't possibly imagine why Swain would've took so many resources just to find this one man. He gripped his shirt tightly.

Swain beckoned forward to the man in the dark shadows. The man was huge, with a scythe of some sorts lifted high in the air. He stepped forward, and even Talon felt fear.

He was a giant ghastly man, with a dark helmet and spirits surrounding him. His lower half was a horse's body, and his armor had swirling tormented faces floating through it. What was most terrifying, though, was his voice. Every time he spoke, a thousand pained and trapped voices seemed to speak with him. His scythe waved high in the air, and Talon had a feeling this wasn't the first time he had ever killed someone.

The executioner stepped forward. The ground rumbled and wind blew in rain. The lights flickered as the man raised his giant scythe, and let it drop.

Talon stared at the strange lady before him. She had golden hair, a sort of pretty face, and a nice cheerful smile. Talon frowned. "How did I get here? Last thing I remember was that I was on a carriage to my doom."

The lady smiled, and Talon couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked. "We had noticed you getting tracked by Swain for a while now, and it's our duty to make sure that whatever Swain wants, he doesn't get. By the way, you can call me Lux."

Talon blushed. Why was he feeling these emotions? "But, Lux, how did you get me out of there? Won't Swain figure out?"

Lux smirked a knowing smirk. "Swain still thinks he killed you. Let's just say, he killed the equivalent of a ball of light."

Talon couldn't think of anything to say, so he let Lux lead him towards a garden gate, where he saw a familiar castle. A too familiar castle. And then he remembered.

"Lux, there's something I have to tell you…" He murmured strangely.

Lux prodded him playfully. "Go on."

Talon drew up his nerves and told her. "The night before I was captured, I was hired by some contractor to go assassinate a certain royal officer. That woman was you. I am Talon, the Noxian assassin."

Lux felt an overwhelming train of thoughts. This was Talon, the feared assassin? She thought about turning him in at once, but then decided against it. Garen'll probably kill him on the spot, she thought. Besides, Talon doesn't look that evil to me. Maybe he's changed. She decided against revealing his identity as she led him into the castle and into a spare bedroom.

Talon looked around the golden bedroom as Lux closed the door. He had never seen such royalty in his life. There were brand new white fluffy pillows, a giant bouncy bed, lights that shone with beautiful colors, windows, and other beautiful luxuries. Talon walked into the bathroom and immediately felt a tear drop down his cheek. It was exactly the same as his parent's bathroom when he was a child. He opened the water, stripped down, and let the water pour over him….

_15 years ago…_

Little Talon stood by his parents, watching them happily eat their breakfast. Noxus had just had a brand new minister, Swain, who the country was very excited about. Since his parents were officials, they would rise in status. Talon ran around the garden, skipping happily. Suddenly, he slipped on a patch of mud. Crying, he ran to his mommy. His mother gently comforted him by holding him in her arms, and Talon purred happily. His mom brought him in to the shower, where she gently cleaned his bruise. Suddenly, the scene shifted. He was in the carriage with his mom and dad, his mom telling him stories about the little Yordles. He listened happily until a man clad in black jumped through the window. His two knives glinting, he cut down Talon's parents before his crying face. He screamed and fought, but to no avail. He reached for his mom's body, but it was all torn…

"Talon, are you ok?" Lux's voice ran through the hall. "Why is there so much banging going on in your room?"

Talon looked at the wall and saw holes punched throughout the shower curtain. He frowned and got dressed, making sure to wear the Demacian uniform. He brushed away his tears and got ready to meet Jarvan, the king of Demacia.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

Talon walked into the royal hall, escorted by two guards. He held his head high and his eyes straight ahead. The giant mosaics on the walls glittered with a rainbow of dazzling colors. There was a long red rug spread in front of him that lead in a pathway to Jarvan. There he looked at the man that his bosses had sent him to assassinate so many times. Jarvan had a ruggedly handsome face, one that he knew many girls both Noxian and Demacian fell for. His golden crown was seated on top of his head, and he held a golden lance straight up in the air. Beside him two officials bore the Demacian arms, a set of blue flags with a yellow stripe down the middle. Remembering the courtesy Lux had taught him, he bowed down.

Jarvan waved his hand upwards. "Rise." Talon slowly lifted his head up.

Jarvan smiled and beckoned him forward. "It's okay. I've heard all about who you are from Lux. However, we Demacians are not scoundrels. We believe in the nobility of humanity, which is why I am giving you a second chance. Talon, if you abuse this, I will not take it lightly."

Talon nodded gratefully. "Lord Jarvan, thank you for this chance. I have lost all allegiances to Noxus."

Jarvan waved towards a man on the left of him. The man brought forward a tiny metal cup.

"Inside this cup is a little light spirit. He will be on you at all times to make sure that you haven't abused my mercy. Talon, there is a deal though. In return for our protection, we need you for something. Swain has recently been hunting down you vigorously, spending more resources on you that is only rivaled by Kalamanda. He has also been capturing powerful beings from around Valoran, many of who are enlisted to join the soon-to-be established League of Legends. I fear he is planning something greater then Noxian and Demacia, something which will be extremely dangerous."

Talon considered for a moment. Why would he help his greatest enemy? Then he remembered Lulu. Even though he had been an assassin, despised by Yordles, she had found him and cared for him. She had even lost her best friend Pix because of him. Then, as everyone's breath stopped in the room, Talon slowly said one word.

"Yes."

In the royal library, Talon was studying from a giant book of Noxus history when a light finger tapped him on the shoulder. Looking up, he saw Lux grinning at him. She was looking really amazing today, with her simple white tunic complimenting her beautiful eyes. She twirled her wand as she waited for him to talk.

"Um… Hey Lux!" Talon mumbled out, sure he was looking like a complete fool. His cheeks instantly blushed up.

Lux smiled, knowing her effect on the poor man. "How would you like to join me for lunch today? We can eat and discuss about what you think is happening."

Talon instantly grinned, ignoring his melancholy feeling. "Sure, Lux." As he skipped away out of the library, he thought instantly, "What has gotten into me. A month ago I was planning an assassination and now I'm skipping."

Swain opened the cage to his newest captive. A little girl, around age 9, stood huddled in the corner, crying. He gestured to his guards, who grabbed her, screaming, and put her onto a machine. He flicked a switch. A bolt of energy shot from the machine and hit the little girl's head. Her body shuddered once, and then she was silent. Swain removed a little patched up teddy bear from her arms as he removed from the machine a ball of flaming fire. "Good night, Annie" he said, as he shut the door onto the dark room.

Talon paced nervously at the café. Lux was 10 minutes late already, he thought. What if she went out with her other boys? What if she was just trying to manipulate him? He contemplated attacking the waitress to find out, but just then luckily Lux arrived. She was laden with a plethora of shopping bags, and next to her stood a familiar little Yordle.

"Hey Talon. Sorry I'm late. Me and Lulu here had to have a little girl time together. " She pointed to Lulu, who was sporting a brand new dress and red tap shoes.

Lulu smiled at Talon, but there was a hint of sadness on her face. Talon noticed how much older and heavier her face seemed to sag. He pitied her for having to go through the death of a loved one at such a young age. _Just like me, _ he thought. Right now, the only thing he wanted to do was to go up to Swain and rip his head off.

Lux sat down and pulled out a seat for Lulu. They ordered their meals, and waited for them to arrive.

Talon laid out a scroll he had smuggled from the watching eyes of the librarians. "Lux, here it is. Right after the Rune Wars, a group of 4 warriors appeared. The first one was named Ryze." He pointed to a strange blue man with a giant scroll hoisted upon his back. "He knew the foundations of magic and manipulated it to do anything. His power came from his tattoos and scroll." Talon moved his finger over to a dark warrior with a glowing red sword. "This is Aatrox. He was a demon on the battlefield, drinking his enemies blood and healing his own army." He shifted his finger over to a purplish lady with a strange horn sticking out of her head. "This is the patron of Demacia, Soraka. She healed at ease any wound and summoned stars to protect her teammates." Finally, Talon pointed to the edge of the page, where a massive spider stood. "This here, Elise, is the goddess of Noxus. She could morph from a beautiful woman to a spider at ease, using trickery and strategy to defeat her enemies." Talon then pointed to an enscription on the side of the page. "This here I cannot read, so I hoped you could translate this for me?"

Lulu's eyes grew wide. "This… This is in Yordilican. It talks about how these warriors each enchanted their own token to leash a greater beast. They then cast the tokens around the world in the most dangerous places. What, what if Swain is trying to reach them? He may be awakening this greater beast…" Lulu drew in a great intake of air.

Lux frowned. "Lulu, who is this greater beast."

Lulu seemed about to burst out in tears. She shook her head.

Lux pressed on eagerly. "Lulu, tell me."

Talon and Lux leaned their heads in to hear. "He, his minions murdered my family. He is the root of all evil. In Yordilican, we call him Satritque, or the evil one. Translated into your language, it is Nocturne."


End file.
